Friday, November 10, 2006

TAIWAN LEVERAGES ITS ICT ADVANTAGE IN APEC WITH NEW INITIATIVE

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) Riding on the success of previous efforts, Taiwan will once again leverage its advantage in information and communication (ICT) technology at the upcoming informal leadership meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, a government official said Tuesday.

Taiwan will submit an initiative titled the "2006 APEC Cultural Digital Archive Sharing Program" at the summit, which will be held in Hanoi from Nov. 18-19, said John Chen, director- general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of International Organizations.

The objective of the initiative is to help APEC members preserve their cultural assets with Taiwan's advantage in the ICT sector and experience in cultural assets preservation, Chen said.

The campaign is the third consecutive initiative Taiwan will have submitted at an APEC summit, following the "APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) " in 2003 and the "ADOC plus OVOP (One Village, One Product)" in 2005.

The technology-based initiatives make President Chen Shui-bian's appointment of Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), as Taiwan's APEC representative very reasonable and appropriate, he noted.

To some extent, Taiwan has changed its strategy on its APEC participation after clashing with China on different occasions over the years, Chen said.

APEC was established as an organization that focuses on economy and technology issues, although it has expanded to include other discussions. Taiwan has been concentrated on the economy and technology issues, trying to facilitate regional cooperation and assist other members of the international community, he said.

Since 2003, six ADOC offices have been set up in APEC countries such as Chile, Vietnam, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, with help from Taiwan. The OVOP initiative last year also won praise from APEC members.

"Taiwan has been trying to help its international friends to cross the digital divide into digital opportunities. We believe this is another way to win support and friendship, " Chen said.